Career and wellbeing workshops for individual researchers

  • “The insights I gained from Clare’s workshop on academic wellbeing have been some of the most valuable experiences for my professional development to date.”

    - Dr Nick Evans, Senior Clinical Lecturer, University of Cambridge

Book a free get-to-know-you call with me

Online workshops for academics

I offer small-group, online workshops to help you develop the skills you need for a career in research… or outside it.

In my workshops, you’ll benefit from my unique background:

  • I was formerly a researcher, so I understand academia from the inside.

  • I lectured alongside researching, so I have a lot of experience teaching and training adults. I love combining the joy I get from teaching with my weapons-grade enthusiasm for research.

  • These days I’m a research communicator, so I am really good at supporting people to grasp new concepts and make practical use of them.

Workshop themes

  • Research communication, engagement and impact
    If you want your research to have a real-world impact, you'll need to be able to get the attention of people who don't already care about it. This isn't something researchers typically get taught how to do - which is exactly why I offer these workshops. You’ll leave with practical skills you can use right away and more confidence in communicating with all kinds of audiences.

  • Taking care of ourselves and each other
    Academia has a tendency to treat research as more important than researchers, and I simply can’t be having with that. Whether you want to feel less alone dealing with the horrors that a career in research can throw at you, to learn a coping technique that isn’t meditation, or simply time with other people who get it, I’ve got your back.

  • Career skills for academia and beyond
    An academic wears many hats (including the nice squashy one you get when you graduate your PhD). In any given day you might be a project manager, data analyst, teacher, mentor, public speaker, job applicant, grant writer, colleague, friend, parent, partner, and more. That’s a lot for anyone to contend with, so let’s help you develop the skills that will help you succeed as a researcher (or help you find the escape hatch into another career - the choice is yours).

What to expect in my workshops

I lead with care, sincerity, and gentle humour. You’ll leave with evidence-based tools to help you cope with life in academia and beyond.

Expect ridiculous analogies and silly jokes, as well as lots of interactive elements that are purposely designed to allow you to engage in different ways. You’ll get to choose your own adventure depending on your needs and preferences. Whether you’d like to discuss with other attendees, spend time doing reflective writing or drawing, or even sit in silence and listen, you’re welcome as you are.

  • “As a neurodivergent academic, I can genuinely say that Clare's wellbeing workshop was the first of its kind to offer the insight I had been hoping for and genuinely useful strategies to help sustain joy in our work.”

    - Dr Cate Pemble, workshop participant

Currently available workshops

  • It's not you, it's academia

    2 hour online workshop

    Who it’s for:
    Early-career academics who are finding academia brutal.
    Let’s be honest: academia is broken. Sometimes you just need a place where you can say it aloud without worrying about the consequences. This is that place.

    What you'll get out of it:
    A deeper understanding of why each of us responds to similar stressors in different ways.
    A greater sense of connectedness to other early-career academics.
    Practical skills for identifying your own support needs, communicating about them, and offering support to others.

    (This works really well paired with Coping with academic stressors, but can also be done as a standalone.)

    Book

  • Coping with academic stressors

    2 hour online workshop

    Who it’s for:
    Early-career academics who cannot bear the thought of another wellbeing workshop about how you’d be less stressed if you just tried harder.
    Not on my watch, friend. Let’s dig into what you actually need and what works for you.

    What you'll get out of it:
    A deeper understanding of how personal and systemic factors interact to create stress.
    Several evidence-based techniques for coping with stress (not just mindfulness - promise).
    A ‘menu’ of practical options for dealing with stressors that can be flexibly applied depending on your needs, energy levels, and life circumstances.

    (This works really well paired with It’s not you, it’s academia, but can also be done as a standalone.)

    Book

  • Practical research communication skills

    2 hour online workshop

    Who it’s for:
    Early career researchers and anyone working in research who’s new to research communication.
    This workshop is designed to be useful for researchers working in any discipline - past attendees have included physicists, psychologists, and healthcare professionals.

    What you'll get out of it:
    A deeper understanding of what research communication is and its many, many uses.
    Insights into different types of research communication, their benefits and drawbacks.
    Practical skills to get started with research communication.

    Book

  • More online workshops coming soon


    Dealing with public speaking nerves
    Hello, I’m a person who loves teaching and training but (still) gets afraid of standing up in front of a crowd. I’ve learned to manage the fear, and I’d love to help you do the same. Come along to find out why one piece of advice I have is “remember you have a butt!” (No, really.)

    Making it through conferences
    Ah, conferences. Every introvert/ADHD-er/autistic person’s/socially anxious person’s worst nightmare. And yet, we probably need to go to them. Let’s talk coping tactics, because boy have I got a lot of them.

    How to give (and receive) helpful feedback
    Are you fed up with Reviewer 2 but unsure how to tell them to back off? Are you afraid you are Reviewer 2? This is the workshop for you. We’re gonna talk psychology: power dynamics, boundaries, emotional safety and relational repair. And then you can leave me some helpful workshop feedback. Win-win.

    Get in touch if you want to know more

  • “Clare brings a wealth of experience to her workshops and sessions but what comes through the most is that she cares about people.”

    - Dr Graham McClelland, Vice Chancellor’s Fellow, Northumbria University

Book a workshop

  • "I attended Clare's workshop on coping with academic stressors while working as a researcher on a fixed-term contract within a big university. The demands and expectations of my role and sourcing future research funding weighed heavily on me, so learning about Clare's well-thought out coping strategies and her active encouragement to think outside the box was so helpful to my personal development and my wellbeing."

    - Dr Emma Ferguson-Coleman, Lecturer in Dementia and Ageing, GIAM, University of West London

Looking for a tailored skills development workshop for your team or organisation?

What you get when you work with me

I'm Dr Clare Jonas: skills trainer, research communicator, and former academic.

When you work with me, you get:

  • My 10 years' experience of working in research communication and 20 years' experience of teaching, training, coaching and mentoring adults

  • My extensive education in psychology and neuroscience

  • My first-hand knowledge of working in academia (and burning out of academia) as someone with ADHD

  • My ability to assess research evidence and distil it into tangible ideas that you can use in your everyday life

  • My genuine delight in learning who you are and empowering you to develop skills to support your career and personal wellbeing

  • My deep personal commitment to kindness, honesty and integrity

  • And a lot of dad jokes, because my sense of humour is an important part of who I am (and gentle humour can be make it easier to learn new things and to regulate emotions when you’re talking about potentially challenging topics like wellbeing)

If you want to know more about me and my approach, check out my About Me page.